From Whence We Came
by Pharaohess Yami Anzu
Summary: The cast is back from summer vacation, and they start the new school year off in the best way possible! An evil reincarnated princess, a cheerleading tournament, and a dangerous trip through the Shadow Realm reveal a startling truth that will bring YugiYa
1. Summer Jam Session Comes To An End

**Author's Notes:**

Hey there minna-san! I'm making pretty good progress with my stories, and distributing my time nicely between my Pern club and my anime fanfiction! As you all know, most of my fics are centered around Yugi/Tea (Yuugi/Anzu) romances and Sesshoumaru/Rin romances, of course. I hope to get started on some Sesshoumaru/Rin fics soon, as I have some interesting plot ideas running around in my head. And, of course, I'll publish chapters whether you review or not, but your input not only makes those chapters appear faster, it also gives me ideas and pointers for more fics! Reviews, of course, are always much appreciated! Arigato gozaimasu to all the people who sent me reviews! Keep 'em coming!

'_italics_' -signifies thoughts  
(...) -signifies Yami Yugi speaking to Yugi  
:...: -signifies Yugi speaking to Yami Yugi

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its subsequent plots and characters. All of these wonderful things belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

**Quick Reference: **

In cheerleading, there are two primary positions a cheerleader can have in relation to stunts. (Firstly, a stunt is known as any maneuver that involves the squad being in a certain formation and completing a series of actions that can involve lifting people into the air in a certain position or to perform a certain action.) The two positions are knows as _flyers_ and _bases_. Bases are often the strongest, sturdiest people on the squad, and serve as the "base" for which other team members are lifted or tossed into the air. Fliers are the team members who are the ones being lifted or tossed into the air, and are usually the lighter and more agile people on the team, since they are often required to do a number of actions midair, such as holding a pose or performing a jump.

The stunt I reference below, called the Liberty, is one of the prettiest poses in cheerleading that demonstrates not only the flexibility and discipline of the fliers, but the strength and endurance of the bases, as this stunt usually requires only one or two bases holding up one flier each. From any midair stunt, there are several ways to come down, one of which is known as a "cradle". Just as it sounds, the bases bend down at a certain count, and throw the flier up in what is called a "pop". Then, just as quickly, the bases form a cradle with their arms to catch their flier, who usually performs a toe-touch or some such other feat before allowing herself to fall safely into the arms of her bases. As it sounds, being a flier is not without risks. It can be dangerous to be held up in the air by only one or two people, and even more so to be tossed up even higher and trusting to be caught. Without proper guidance and direction, cheerleaders, both fliers and bases, can suffer injuries ranging from bumped foreheads and chins to broken legs, arms, and even necks. Don't try this at home! (You'd hit the ceiling on your way up.)

Here's translations of the Japanese I use in my fics:  
**Iie**- no

**Nani?** -What?  
**Aa,Un** -Yes,yeah (first is men only, second women only)  
**Ja ne** – See you later

**Ne** – equivalent of 'no?' meaning, "Don't you agree?" or "Don't you think?"

**Oe** - hey  
**Urusai** -shut up  
**Minna-san** -everyone  
**Arigato gozaimasu** -thank you very much

Enjoy!

-Pharaohess Yami Anzu

* * *

**From Whence We Came**

**Chapter 1-Summer Jam Session Comes To An End**

"READY! OKAY! 5, 6, 7, 8 and UP 2, 3, 4, and HOLD!"

Against the cloudless blue skies smiling over Naniyori Kokusai High School, seven lithe forms, clad in various types of skin-tight designer sportswear, held their arms skyward in tight, almost identical configurations as they balanced precariously on the balls of their left feet, their right legs held up by their right hands next to their heads. It was a classical cheerleading stunt known as the "Liberty". It was supposed to evoke a feeling of freedom and flight, but clearly the supposed weightlessness of it all was not being felt at all as the bases on the ground started to protest.

"Someone's slacking! Hold up your end!"

"Okay, the hell, do I look like a milkmaid, because someone feels like a cow!"(1)

The ruckus continued as the forms in the air wavered, earning a number of squeals and protests as the possibility of slamming into the ground below became all the more real for the flyers struggling to maintain their posture mid-air. A sudden, authoritative yell sounded across the open expanse of mats on the grass, silencing everyone.

"That's it! Everyone be quiet, and hold your positions until I count us into a cradle! 5, 6, 7, 8, and POP!" In the center of the formation, her pink-and-brown hair gathered into a tight braid on the right side of her head, cheerleading captain Jade, along with six other flyers, soared about ten feet into the air, their fingertips touching their toes, before they spread their bodies into a perfectly straight lines to be caught by their bases on the ground below.

As the first to land on the ground, Jade watched, with varying degrees of worry and irritation, as the other flyers cradled haphazardly into the arms of their bases. There was a great deal of muttering and complaining that broke out once all the flyers were safely on the ground, which Jade effectively cut off with a sharp whistle.

"Okay, minna-san, what the HELL was that flying circus up there!" Jade demanded, her chocolate eyes narrowed in irritation. "That's a basic liberty stunt, one level of flyers, popping out into a cradle! Basic! That's something we expect everyone to be able to perform PERFECTLY if they were even trying out for this team."

Several of the flyers broke out into chatter, citing a number of complaints that was immediately refuted by their indignant bases. Another sharp whistle cut that short too. Of the seven flyers on the ground, only the brown-haired, blue-eyed Téa and the black-haired, sky-blue-eyed Rasma were the only ones not citing complaints or venting their frustration. Both knew that the pink-and-brown-haired cheerleading captain was already worrying about the upcoming cheerleading competition in November, three months away. It was Téa who put a calming hand on Jade's shoulder.

"Not everyone has been working out all summer, you know," she added softly, allowing a smile at the taller girl's softening features. "School's not even in session yet, and you're already worrying about the Tokyo Finals. We'll be ready, and we'll be the best. We always are."

"Yeah!" Rasma piped up, always the cheerful, hyperactive one. "You're like the mall preparing for Christmastime…earlier every year you start getting psycho on us! Loosen up, we'll be fine!"

Jade let out a small grunt, an answer that was acknowledging the truth in her friends' words. She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Alright…I hadn't considered that I'm the sole health lunatic and hypochondriac on this team…and all things taken into account, for a Liberty stunt right out of summer vacation…it wasn't bad at all…pretty good, actually. A little rough around the edges, and it can get better, but it wasn't bad."

The tension in the air decreased dramatically, and the flyers and bases managed relieved smiles at the praise they had been given. Jade managed a wry smile. "Okay…all of you…call it a day…go home, soak in a hot bath or shower…eat some good food, and relax…be here tomorrow afternoon, 1 PM sharp…our coaches will be here to see what kind of shape we're in…I recommend you get a workout tonight, start getting yourselves back into competition mode…tomorrow we'll set team workout schedules before the basketball and football teams hog the workout rooms. Okay…that's all. Have a safe trip to wherever you're headed to. Ja ne."

A chorus of "Ja ne"s was the response, and the rest of the team dispersed, grabbing their bags and cell phones as they departed in various directions. Téa and Rasma followed as Jade hoisted up her sports bag, stuffed with a laptop, cell phone, energy drinks, wrist wraps, and pom-poms, and headed for the locker rooms.

Téa chuckled as she picked up her bag, and tossed Rasma her own. "Irritated?" she teased, grinning as the vibrant pair followed Jade at a languid pace, ignoring the pink-and-brown-haired girl's harrumphing noises as she made a beeline for the showers inside the gym locker rooms.

Plunking her gym bag down on a wooden bench within the privacy of the locker rooms, Jade said nothing until she snatched up a towel and turned on the blistering hot water, and started shedding her shoes and socks.

"I know I worry too much…and I know we're the best…but every year there's always some crackpot team that thinks it's going to whip our butts, and I want to make sure we don't get lazy resting on our laurels."

Rasma blinked, undoing the heavy, calf-length braid hanging off her head. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" she protested, sky-blue eyes almost indignant. :Maybe our laurels are a good place to rest!"(1)

Téa tilted her head as she deftly removed her sweaty sportswear underneath her securely-tied terrycloth robe. "You DO know what laurels are, right Ras?"

"Of course I do!" Rasma snapped, yanking a comb savagely through the curly mass of hair. "But there's no reason NOT to be proud of our winning the national and international championships for several years running now."

Jade stood in the shower, letting the hot water pour over her, relaxing her muscles, smiling as she felt her tension ebbing. As she started to shampoo her hair, she jumped into the conversation. "Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, you know. Vanity never did anyone any good...only ends up making one look like a complete fool in the end…speaking of which, you guys DID make time to go try on our new school and sports uniforms, right?"

Rasma nodded, a grin on her face. "I wonder what design they picked for the uniforms this year! The skirts we had last year were nice, but they were rather plain…not to mention that the triple-pleat look is totally out. And the tapered arms on the jackets were totally tacky." She gave a happy squeal of joy as she finally managed to tame her mass of ink-black hair.

Téa nodded assent, gathering up some shampoo and body wash. "The uniforms the year before last weren't bad, though. Fully-pleated skirts always look nice with knee-socks. I hope we go back to that this year."

Jade giggled, and wrapped herself in a bright pink towel before stepping carefully onto the tile floor. "You would like those pleated skirts Téa…especially when you had yours cut longer than the rest of us. It's okay to show off your cute legs, you know." Téa mumbled something underneath her breath, causing Jade to laugh again as she crossed to the mirror and started parting her pink-and-brown locks elaborately.

"Actually…I was thinking I might ask to have my skirt cut just a little shorter this year…"

"Seriously?" Jade asked, a twinkle in her golden-brown eyes as she surveyed Téa's blushing face in the mirror. "And what's inspired this sudden change in your aesthetic attitude?"

Téa opened her mouth to answer, but before she could do so, the door to the locker room burst open, and Kaiba strode in, calling out Rasma's name, the longing plain on his face as he stopped short in surprise at seeing the three girls in various stages of undress right before him.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Jade yelled, dropping her comb and whipping around to stare at the multi-millionaire. "THIS IS A GIRLS' LOCKER ROOM YOU BRAIN-DEAD MORON! ARE YOU BLIND?" Rasma's reaction to her boyfriend was far more positive, though far less dramatic, and included nothing less than a series of squeals and a sudden explosion of happy jumps as she danced toward her significant other. Gravity, it seemed, had other plans for her, and within three bounces of her feet against the floor, her sky-blue towel had slipped off her body, leaving her utterly and completely naked to the entire locker room and to Kaiba's wide-open, shamelessly staring eyes.

Téa turned as red as a Santa hat and clapped her hands over her eyes, and Jade started to shriek at the top of her voice, exclaiming over Rasma's nudity, before she turned around, thrust her head into the sink, and turned on the tap to start scrubbing furiously at her violated eyes. Kaiba however, could only stare, open-mouthed, at his girlfriend's entirely nude form, before he fell backwards, blood spurting out of his nose, and tumbled back out of the locker room, the door snapping firmly shut behind him.

A positively wicked smile gracing her face, Rasma quickly snatched her fallen towel, flung it over one shoulder like a jacket, and strutted to the shower, whipping the curtain closed behind her. Téa heard the shower curtain whoosh shut, and removed her hands from her eyes. "It's okay, Jade, she's in the shower."

Hair dripping and mouth spitting water onto the floor, Jade shut off the tap and withdrew her head from the sink, throwing a furious look in the shower stall that Rasma was bathing in, before she snatched up her comb again and started parting her hair once more.

"Thank the gods that Rasma's brash enough not to care that her boyfriend sees her utterly naked," Jade muttered, casting another dark glance at the steam pouring copiously from behind the plastic shower curtain. "I certainly can't say that for the rest of us. Ricky would have kittens and then turn Kaiba into an interesting-looking stain on the locker room floor if he saw either one of us even baring half our bodies. And Yugi would totally be aggravated enough to wipe the floor with him in a Duel Monsters match."

Téa turned bright red again, her breath catching in her chest as she stared at the girl parting her hair in the mirror. Jade yanked the comb through a particularly stubborn pink snag, and rubbed some leave-in treatment into it before pinning it up. She beckoned to the staring blue-eyed girl, who was still too numb with shock to heed the invitation. Sighing, Jade slopped a dollop of the heavy white lotion onto her hands, crossed the tiled floor, and began rubbing it into the other girl's hair, ignoring her stiff posture and stricken glance.

"Oh, come on, Téa, it's not like you can pretend not to have noticed Yugi's crush on you," she said. Téa choked a startled denial, but a knowing smile from her best friend silenced her. "Seriously, I think you guys were meant to be, in all honesty. You're a cute item."

"Item?"

"Duh. I've seen the way you two look at each other. If he doesn't ask you out soon, I'm going to have to start interfering."

Téa shot Jade a half-furious, half-embarrassed look. "Why wouldn't he?" she asked, fearing a fearful knot well up inside her chest.

Jade grimaced as she dragged a wet comb through Téa's silky brown strands. "Because," she muttered, in a voice of great anxiety that carried just a hint of sarcasm and exasperation, "if we don't get things get going between you two, Yugi'll just keep getting shyer and shyer, and then you'll be an old woman before he screws up the courage to try to ask you out. Not happening. Not on my watch."

"So why the rush?"

"Because," Jade added sarcastically, "I want no less than ten kids out of Ricky, and we'll need you and Yugi to baby-sit. No, baka, it's because we know that you two are perfect for each other. We're best friends. We're supposed to be nosy, and intervene where we see fit. Right, Ras?"

The raven-haired teenager was dancing about the tile floor to a music that only she seemed to hear, as stark naked as she had been entering the shower, dripping splotches of water everywhere. The sky blue towel was being whipped around like some lethal metronome, snapping out a beat every time Rasma thrashed it around. Counting down, Jade estimated it would be ten seconds or less before the sky-blue-eyed teen would slip and fall flat on her butt.

Sure enough, eight seconds later, Rasma had hit the floor with a loud, wet _splat_, her face a sheepish red as she hastily stood, wrapped the towel around herself again, and without so much as a squeal of warning, pounced on the two other towel-clad girls, sending the entire trio tumbling to the floor.

"Right!" she proclaimed, hugging both girls gleefully. Téa grinned, letting her fears and worries dissolve into laughter bouncing off the tiled walls and floor. Jade's eyes stirred a faint gold widening on her expanses of brown, and with a murderous expression on her face, turned her head so that she could glare at the cause for the sudden change in her vertical orientation.

"Shall we go try on our uniforms, then?" Rasma asked, as perky as ever.

"Get the hell off me before I kill you," Jade snarled.

"Okie dokie!" Still squealing at the top of her voice, Rasma seized Téa by both hands and hauled her off the positively furious third girl, and the two danced in ever-widening circles as Jade lifted herself off the floor, eyeing the two spinning girls with an expression akin to resignation. With a sigh, Jade picked up the hairdryer as started blow-drying her hair, smirking into the mirror as she watched Téa and Rasma spin past, and then in one of her abrupt changes of mood, smiled contentedly as the two smashed into a tile wall several seconds later. _'Things rather do have a way of coming 'round and hopping up to bite you in the butt…'_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **

(1) Okay, for those of you who aren't big into cheerleading, these are several lines I took directly out of Bring It On, a favorite movie of mine about cheerleading and such.

Okay, minna-san! Yes, I'm starting another fic! Remember how I made allusions to past adventures in Imagine My Heart Was Yours? Well, this is that story, and trust me, were only seeing the tip of the iceberg! Reviews, of course, are much appreciated! P.S. if anyone has any funny ideas for some comic relief moments (as this will be a very serious and action/danger-packed fic in lots of places), please let me know! I'm always up for putting in a particularly funny or interesting gag! Arigato gozaimasu, minna-san!


	2. The Colors of Rage

**Author's Notes:**

Hey there minna-san! Sorry about my prolonged absence! I moved out of my apartment after the hurricane season ended in Florida and had a little bit of a hard time getting online in my new place. Thanks to everyone who's waited so patiently for these stories and their chapters! I hope I'm getting lots of fun feedback on these stories! I love getting reviews! P.S. Next time you all leave feedback, let me know if you think a Halloween story starring this cast of characters sounds like fun! Keep your eyes and mind sharp in this chapter, for the underlying plot and all its subsequent jealousy, rage, love, and hope start soon become apparent! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and given me the drive to keep writing!

Quick Reference: Almalexia is the name of the one goddess that's part of the Tribunal, the main religion centered on three gods, in Morrowind. I'm a big Morrowind fan and I've worked on several of my own mods. Anyone who's played the Tribunal expansion knows that Almalexia ultimately turns out to be a goddess gone mad who tries to make mincemeat of your player character. I never did like her, and her floating bit in the game always annoyed the heck out of me. So, I used her name here in a negative context. Sorry if I've offended anyone, but it's my fic, so I'll make my own rules!

'_italics_' -signifies thoughts  
(...) -signifies Yami Yugi speaking to Yugi  
:...: -signifies Yugi speaking to Yami Yugi

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its subsequent plots and characters. All of these wonderful things belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

Here's translations of the Japanese I use in my fics:  
**Iie**- no

**Nani?** -What?  
**Aa,Un** -Yes,yeah (first is men only, second women only)  
**Ja ne** – See you later

**Ne** – equivalent of 'hey!' or 'no?' meaning, "Don't you agree?" or "Don't you think?"

**Oe** - hey  
**Urusai** -shut up  
**Minna-san** -everyone  
**Arigato gozaimasu** -thank you very much

Enjoy!

-Pharaohess Yami Anzu

* * *

**From Whence We Came**

**Chapter 2-The Colors of Rage**

It was near two in the afternoon when Rasma, Téa, and Jade finally made their way through the crowded streets of the shopping district to the Sakura School Uniforms store. It was a hot afternoon, and the inside of the store was packed with middle school and high school teenagers enjoying their brief respite from the heat as they donned various school uniforms in air-conditioned comfort. Ricky, Kaiba, and Yugi waved at the three girls from the base of the glass escalators, whom hastened to join them. Jade sported an almost obscene grin when she saw that Kaiba's nose was jammed with tissues, making it perfectly clear that he was still attempting to bring his nosebleed under control. Rasma smirked when she caught Kaiba's eyes, and wasted no time in promptly pouncing on him, hugging him hard enough to collapse his chest cavity.

Ricky gave his significant other a quick kiss on the cheek, whispering something impish in her ear, which gave her a reason to slap his chest and waggle her finger at him teasingly. Yugi glanced shyly at Téa, smiling as he gave her a quick wink. Téa felt herself blushing as she smiled back, murmuring greetings under her voice.

"Where are the others?" Téa asked, trying to save herself from going full red in the face.

Ricky jammed his thumb, pointing upward. "Our school uniforms are on Level 20, top floor, East Section A. Joey and Tristan are up there with Susan and Cori. Robert and Mokuba are there too." He grinned. "It might be worth it to get up there as quickly as possible and see if anyone's throwing a fit yet."

"Why?" Téa asked, startled.

"You know that girl in our class, Almalexia?" Ricky asked.

Jade groaned. "Miss Bitch?" she asked, her tone venomous. Seeing Téa's startled expression, Jade elaborated. "You're lucky you haven't had to deal much with her. She's in a couple of our classes, and the biggest, vainest airhead in this hemisphere. Her family's pretty well off, and she buys the most expensive stuff she can and brings it to school to show off. She sits in calculus with us, all the way to the left, in the front row."

"The one with the puke green hair and washy lime green eyes?" Rasma said, her tone insulting.

"That would be the one," Ricky agreed. "She's harassing the saleswoman upstairs about the school uniforms, complaining about how the uniforms clash with her hair and that some changes have to be made."

Jade's clenched her jaw in anger. "I swear, if she even looks at me funny I'm going to break her fixed nose and rip off that fake rack of hers." She gave an impatient snort as she started toward the escalator.

Téa felt a sudden jarring of memory. "Is she the same one who's tried out for the team these last two years?"

Jade nodded. "And failed miserably, I might add. No flexibility. Can't even touch her toes. No experience, and she seems to think that all we do is wave pom-poms and shake our butts at the audience, which is total nonsense…we could have trained her, of course, but she thought herself above such petty tutoring and walked out. The bossiest little bitch I've ever met. She even said that she'd make a better captain than me, at her miserable tryout. Coach Mana threw her out of the gym."

Téa blinked, startled. "I had no idea she was so horrid."

"Lucky you," Jade muttered darkly. They went up the express escalator, stopping on the fifth floor as Jade glanced scornfully at several cheerleading uniforms that were displayed. Rasma spotted them too, and stopped clinging to Kaiba's arm long enough to point excitedly at the uniforms.

"Oooooh! Look! Izumada High's cheerleading uniforms! They've got full pleats!"

Jade snorted. "Yeah, in crimson and grey. Awful colors…it's like a funeral every time their girls go out on the floor. Besides…they eat our dust," she said with a disdainful sniff.

Téa giggled and gave Jade a dig in the ribs. "Wasn't it you who said that pride never did anyone any good?"

Blandly, the taller girl replied, "I'm not being vain. I'm telling the truth."

Yugi and Ricky laughed. "You girls really are quite good, though," Yugi said, gazing at Téa with obvious admiration, earning a soft, flattered smile as she bent her head and blushed.

Ricky nodded. "Pumps me up for our games, that's for sure."

Kaiba gave a smug nod. "I remember that time Rasma kicked that other cheerleader's butt right in front of the whole audience. I've never laughed so hard in my entire life."

"She called me a geek! And she was a complete slut! She had it coming!" Rasma said defensively, quieting immediately when Kaiba gave her a soothing kiss.

Jade snickered. "Well, in any case, our new uniforms are bound to be better than Izumada High's this year. We allotted more cash to the uniform fund this year, and Coach Mana went to the seven hells and back to make sure that our uniforms will be the best-looking in the entire country. All the clubs and teams got lots of money for the uniforms this year, thanks to all the competitions that the school won last year."

Yugi nodded. "We were able to get a whole new Duelist arena with the best technology available from Kaiba Corporation," he added, giving Kaiba a brief nod.

"Ahh, finally!" Ricky exclaimed, as they emerged onto the twentieth floor. Suddenly hyperactive and giggly, Jade grabbed Ricky's hand and shot forward, hauling him along with her. Rasma followed a split second later, dragging Kaiba by the arm, her squeals resounding off the vaulted ceiling. Yugi glanced at Téa hopefully, and his hand twitched, wishing Téa would grab it and haul him forward the way her friends had. Téa blushed, and a delighted smile spread over her features when Yugi extended his hand to her. Without further delay, her hand slipped into his, grabbed on, and with excited laughs, the lovely pair dashed forward to follow their friends.

"Oooh, Ras, Téa, check out the pins and badges for this year!" Jade exclaimed, grabbing both girls by the arms and hauling them over to a small glass display case. Inside it were various pins and uniform ornaments, meant to denote class, rank, and club membership. Two happy shouts momentarily called their attention away from the case, and the three girls looked up to find Cori and Susan, with Tristan and Joey in tow, making their way to their friends.

All five girls crowded around the display case, letting out muted giggles as they pointed at the different pins and badges.

"Oooh, look at the chorus pins!" Susan exclaimed happily. Indeed, the chorus pins this year were quite pretty, a treble clef on a musical staff with four notes, one for each part, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass, set on a gold background and inlaid with lapis lazuli.

"Yeah, and check out the cheerleading pin!" Jade exclaimed proudly, tapping her right index finger on the glass at the large gold pin that displayed, oddly enough, two bases holding up a flier in the Liberty pose, holding pom-poms and a megaphone, inlaid with rose quartz and lapis lazuli. The five girls at the display case giggled, their laughter and animated chatter carrying easily to the ears of the boys who stood a few feet away, who shook their heads and sighed, slouching off to look at their new school uniforms.

Cori blinked, and stood up, turning around sharply. "Tristan!" she snapped. Flinching as though he had been hit, Tristan turned back around, slouching slightly as he apologetically shuffled back to Cori's side. Cori tilted her elegant head, seeming to contemplate for a moment, before she firmly grabbed Tristan's ear, hauled him down, and gave him a firm kiss on the lips before she turned her attention back to the display case. The tall brown-haired boy practically melted into the floor, and with a dreamy expression on his face, fairly oozed back to the other guys, who eyed him with varying expressions of mixed concern, amusement, and disgust, before they made a beeline for the racks of neatly hanging boys uniforms.

Jade felt a small tingle of unease trickle through her, and with the distinct feeling that she was being watched, straightened up and turned around. Sure enough, Almalexia, with her lime green eyes eyeing them, was standing a few feet away, idly twirling a lock of her horrid-colored hair around her left index finger. Jade felt a surge of anger when she saw the girl, but she quickly tamped it down.

Almalexia, for her part, was idly observing the girls at the display case, her green eyes resting on Téa for a long moment before she met Jade's silent gaze. Then, as if she just recognized her, flashed her a smile through heavily lipsticked red lips. The taller girl did not return the smile, and her eyes held a cold fury.

"So, we're going to be cheering up the ante this year, ne, Jade-sama?" Almalexia said. Jade winced at the girl's awful screeching voice. "What 'we'?" Jade said, her voice forbidding and angry. "You're not on the team." Almalexia gave a simpering laugh., the fake, high-pitched chortle that Jade hated so much. "I'm sure I'll make it on this year! After all, I've got all the perfect features to be a cheerleader! I'm gorgeous, I have a cute butt, big boobs, and I can yell at the top of my voice!" Almalexia flipped a lock of her awful hair, flashing her obnoxious fake teeth in a smile, and for a single moment, Jade seriously considered murdering her and hiding her body somewhere in the bowels of the store.

The other girls had turned around from gazing into the display case, and were eyeing the confrontation with mixed expressions of interest and wariness. Almalexia's eyes flashed to Téa again, this time blazing with anger and hate. Jade stepped in Almalexia's line of vision, effectively shielding Téa. "You think you have all the features of a cheerleader?" Jade snarled, her anger finally erupting. "You have a fake rack, an equally fake nose, a heinous head of hair, a voice that could shatter windows, the flexibility of a brick, and the IQ of a slug, and you think you're good enough to be on the best cheerleading team in the world? You've got about as many features as a blank wall, you empty-headed slut! Waste my time at tryouts and I'll break that slab of plastic surgery you call your face!"

The four girls behind Jade stared at her in shock. They had never heard her speak to anyone so harshly. Almalexia stumbled backward, as if she'd been slapped, and then recovered, balling her ludicrously manicured two-inch nails into fists, raising her arm to strike the girl who had just insulted her.

"Go ahead, hit me," Jade said, her voice dangerously menacing. "I'd love nothing more than to rip you apart and decorate the store with your insides. You're a vain, petty, pathetic excuse for a human being, and if you lay a finger on me or one of my friends, I promise you, you will not live to the next daybreak to boast about it in the school corridors. You think your money and snobbery will protect you. I fear neither. So go ahead. Hit me, if you can."

The elaborate gold Egyptian pendant that hung on a gold chain around Jade's neck jangled and sent a spark of electricity through its owner. All at once, Jade's eyes were drawn to the heavy pendant around Almalexia's neck. It was a black, malicious eye outlined in white, surrounded by the heads of two snakes bearing venomous fangs. Her vision shifted realities, and for a single instant, the cheerleader saw the evil black aura that surrounded the pendant and its wearer. The gold Egyptian eye around Jade's neck glowed gold, shielding its mistress from the darkness. Just as quickly, the vision vanished, and once more Jade was staring at Almalexia, who gripped the black pendant around her neck convulsively, lowered her hand, and stomped off without another word.

Susan gave an impressed whistle as the five girls stood watching Almalexia's head of green hair vanish into the sea of milling student shoppers. She draped an arm leisurely across Jade's shoulders. "You sure did tell her off," she said with a grin. Cori snickered. Jade glanced at Téa. "She was watching you, you know," she said. "I wonder what she's up to…"

For a moment, Téa looked quite flustered. "But…why should I be of any importance to her…I barely know who she even is."

Susan gave an impatient snort and waved the question away as she started toward the racks of uniforms. "Something blibbering, no doubt. She's always poking her nose in other people's business."

Rasma shook her head. "It's because of Yugi."

Jade turned around, her face incredulous. Téa whirled around with her, both of them staring at Rasma. "WHAT?" Jade yelled.

"It's true. Almalexia thinks that Yugi's perfect for her. She wants him to ask her out."

"But he wouldn't, not ever, right?" Jade demanded.

Cori gave a snort. "No one in their right mind would ask that bitch out on a date. Trust me, every time she's around Yugi always manages to find a way to excuse himself, polite as you please, and make a beeline for the door, leaving her simmering. She knows that Yugi has a crush on Téa, and that's why she's always upsets anytime Téa's around." Téa choked and turned scarlet in the face.

Jade's hands curled into white-knuckled fists. "Oooh, I would just LOVE to have a reason to rip out all her hair! I want to see what kind of stupid guy would go out with a bimbo like her!"

Téa spoke in a much-muted, faint voice. "You guys…you don't have to get so upset on my behalf…"

The other four girls whirled around to face her, the expressions on their faces utterly disbelieving. "Are you kidding?" Susan said, her sky-blue eyes positively sparkling. "Yeah," added Cori, "You're practically our sister. In fact, you ARE our sister…and sisters stick together no matter what, ne?"

"Hai!" Rasma exclaimed, curling her fingers so that her manicured nails flashed like sharp talons. "Someone messes with you, Téa, and I'll rip her freaking eyes out!"

Jade gave a grin, slamming one fist into her palm with a crystal-clear finality. "And I'd make sure that they don't DARE try and do anything…I wouldn't just kick their ass, I'd finish them," she said with an insinuating squint.

"But…but…" Téa began weakly, both flattered by her friends' avowal of their loyalty and slightly disturbed by the fact that they would willingly go to such lengths to secure it.

"Oh come ON, Téa…it's not quite as bad as we're making it out to be…a little insane eradication never hurt anyone!" Susan chimed.

"But…"

"Yeah, we wouldn't really utterly destroy them…that'd take the fun out of it…we'd have to torture them first," Cori said with a grin.

"Besides, it's a VERY good way to let loose a lot of pent-up sexual frustration!" Rasma blurted out.

For a moment, the other four girls went completely, frighteningly silent, turning around to fix Rasma with silent stares. Jade gave Rasma a deeply disturbed look. "Whatever situation in your life inspired that utterly random comment, Ras, I do NOT want to hear the details…" The four walked on ahead, leaving Rasma staring after them for a few seconds before she gave a squeal and bounded after them.

"But it's true!" she piped up, her voice fading as they made their way to the classroom uniforms. "It really is...why else do you think Seto got a nosebleed when he saw me naked!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Well, there you go minna-san! giggles Yes, you're all getting a taste of the girls' temper here. And, just for some of you slower ones out there, YES, Almalexia is the evil enemy in this story, and don't worry! The plot's going to get a LOT more juicy as the chapters progress, especially with this next chapter! Don't forget to send feedback, and let me know what you think of my idea for the Halloween fic starring this cast of characters!


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